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August 5, 2013· santaclarita.com · SantaClarita.com (SCVTalk 5.0) · Wayback capture

August 5, 2013 – Daily Brief

By Jeff Wilson

  • The 8 year old boy who was found by his father unconscious and nearly drowned in a washing machine in Castaic last week has died, according to NBC 4. As some reports have hinted at, and I've confirmed myself, the boy suffered from autism, and according to one of my sources, doing laundry for the family comforted him in some way, only this time, something tragic and unimaginable happened. All weekend this cruel and ironic incident weighed on me; I know there are so many SCV parents who have children who suffer from the same poorly understood condition. NBC 4 TV
  • Parents use social media to look for their 14 year old daughter who went missing for a few days last week. The girl was missing since Wednesday but by Thursday night, her father not only had contacted Deputies but started a Facebook campaign to look for her. She turned up at a Grocery Store on Orchard Village Road. SIGNAL
  • Ex-Smyth aide, SCV GOP up-and-comer arrested after "sexting" minors. SCVTALK
  • Another motor officer injured on his way to work: This morning a motor officer for an unknown law enforcement agency was injured in a collision on Highway 14 at about 5:30am. KHTS
  • The Signal says incidents of DUIs are "on the rise" in the SCV, pointing to 127 DUI-related arrests made in July 2013, a 27% increase from July 2011, which feels a bit arbitrary to me. Anyway, if we go by the numbers and want to generalize like that, CHP officers seem twice as effective at getting drunks off the road as the LASD do; 84 drunk drivers were arrested by the CHP while only 42 were tagged by the LASD, which holds checkpoints just about every other week. SIGNAL
  • 30 something homeless man wanders into Canyon Country 7-Eleven store and in a "non-nonchalant" way, asked the clerk politely to call paramedics because he had been stabbed several times. No mention on where the stabbing occurred but my bet is that it was somewhere near the Den of Sin, aka the "Wash" where all bad things happen. The clerk at the 7-Eleven even commented that the homeless stabbed man didn't make much of a mess. "He was leaning on a few things, but I cleaned it up right away," she said. Deputies say the wounds aren't series. SIGNAL
  • Speaking of Jakes Way area, a pizza delivery man was "jumped" in the area by two assailants, his pizzas and cash stolen. Smith at KHTS via SCVNEWS.COM
  • Einstein not only got stop-ordered by the City for trying to build a school in an industrial building here in town, but also in Ventura County, where they're trying to open another school in another industrial center and also have failed to get the right permits. Money at the SIGNAL
  • Eric Yee, the guy who allegedly posted about shooting up a school in Valencia, prompting a lock down of the school and national news reports, pleads no-contest to one felony count of having an assault weapon. But he's not being charged for his comments that lead up to the big scare last year. SIGNAL
  • COC hires new administrator, one from outside, and one from inside the school. SIGNAL
  • Neat: Jana Adkins on how Regal/Edwards Cinema is actually cooperating with an indie film project to show non-blockbuster films at the Regal in Canyon Country. SIGNAL
  • Facebooker claims that Six Flags will dismantle Colossus, the much-beloved and iconic wooden roller coaster at Magic Mountain. No link to a report or anything, so I checked out Coaster Guy and he doesn't have anything to say about it. But he did have a neat profile of how the mammoth $6 million wooden roller coaster was built back in the 70s. COASTER GUY
  • Holy smokes: I Heart writes about the Newhall Sunflower, a species of plant that is among the rarest on earth, and only blooms in one specific place in the SCV, called "The Seep," near where Newhall Ranch is slated to be built. Must read. I HEART SCV
  • First paid endorsement LTE of the season. Remember how mad people got when the Signal started charging for these LTEs? VOTE FOR GUTZEIT


Comments (19)

  1. Don't AskMonday, August 5th, 2013 at 8:27 am
    Motor officer no doubt probably doing 100MPH cutting lanes as they all do going to and from work on their free motorcycles.
  2. WalkerMonday, August 5th, 2013 at 9:16 am
    I hope the Regal / Edwards indie movie project works out! It makes me crazy to have to drive to the valley for half the movies I'm interested in seeing.
  3. ToddMonday, August 5th, 2013 at 9:37 am
    Awful news about the little boy. My heart is with him and his family today.
  4. IHeartSCVMonday, August 5th, 2013 at 9:43 am
    The people who discovered the sunflower have actually christened the tiny seep it calls home "Castaic Springs" in their paper, but that's dumb--for self-evident reasons. I feel like anyone who's going to name a new feature of Santa Clarita with Valencia/Newhall/Saugus/Castaic, etc. should be subjected to a round of "Where in the SCV" a la M. Devlin.
  5. Don't AskMonday, August 5th, 2013 at 12:31 pm
    The rumors of Colossus being removed are so funny. This ride is not being removed. In fact, ride technicians have recently worked on the trains that run backwards during Halloween time.
  6. evitalc31Monday, August 5th, 2013 at 1:36 pm
    I feel bad about the 8 year old boy. However, why was he there in the first place?
  7. KLBMonday, August 5th, 2013 at 3:48 pm
    Per The Signal: "When deputies with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station arrived at the scene, the child was on the floor in the living room with his father seated next to him, Hudson said. The boy’s clothes were “soaking wet,” he said." That leads me to believe that the father did not perform CPR on the child. I wonder if the child would be alive today if the dad had done CPR on him? Even if the dad didn’t know CPR, the 911 operator would have walked him through the steps. Seems really weird that the dad just sat there and did nothing while waiting for emergency personnel to show up. I don’t know the severity of this little boy’s disability, but I’m guessing the father thought the boy would be okay left alone in the house while the dad was working in the yard. Or maybe the dad thought he’d just go outside for a few minutes, not thinking anything would happen within a short timeframe. Hard to say.
  8. LynnVMonday, August 5th, 2013 at 7:04 pm
    What makes you believe that the father did "nothing while waiting for the emergency personnel to show up", KLB?......"Paramedics found him on the ground, next to a washing machine with his father at his side,...." Should he have taken off the boys wet clothes prior to performing any life saving techniques? How long did it take for the paramedics to arrive when the found the boy on the ground? But, as you ended your comment, 'hard to say'. I have a 10 year old nephew with severe autism and he too has an obsession with washers, and dryers. He can sit for long periods of time watching the washer and dryer drums spin. He has never shown a desire to actually be in them, however. Perhaps this boy had the same preoccupation. I will not judge this man, or the actions he may, or may not have taken; we don't know. I do know that his heart must be breaking terribly right now, and he has my sympathy and empathy.
  9. KLBMonday, August 5th, 2013 at 7:55 pm
    Don’t get mad at me, LynnV, get mad at the way The Signal wrote the article. Nowhere in The Signal’s article, nor any other media reporting of this story, does it indicate the father performed CPR on his child. The father was SITTING next to the child who was not breathing and had no pulse when emergency personnel showed up. Anyone knows you do NOT stop CPR unless you are sure it’s a lost cause, and you definitely don’t stop when you know emergency personnel is on the way. When emergency personnel showed up, they should have found the father administering CPR and then taken over from there. That is not the case. At least not according to The Signal. So sorry if you find it offensive that I question whether or not the father performed CPR on his kid. If it was just The Signal reporting on this, I would question the accuracy of the story given The Signal’s track record, but multiple news agencies have reported on this and not a single one has indicated the father ever performed CPR on the child. I suppose the 911 tapes will reveal whether or not the dad did more than pull his kid from the washing machine.
  10. LynnVMonday, August 5th, 2013 at 8:01 pm
    I'm not mad, just disappointed. So, lets wait til (if) we find out about the 911 tape? I have no idea how I'd react, handle or respond to that kind of an emergency. I hope never to find out. However, it seems as though many are quick to say that the father did nothing, without knowing. The link on this particular topic is from KNBC, not the Signal. Again, I'm not mad. I'm just feeling for the family right now.
  11. KLBMonday, August 5th, 2013 at 8:07 pm
    That is true, we don’t know what the father did or didn’t do. For the record, I definitely don’t blame the father for his kid falling into the washing machine. I’m not a parent, but even I know you can’t watch a child 24/7, and it only takes a blink of the eye for a kid to get into some serious trouble.
  12. evitalc31Monday, August 5th, 2013 at 4:35 pm
    When my autistic son lived at home with us, we never ever left him unattended. Even though he is severe, he was quite mobile and very curious. The way the father just sat there seems odd to me. Why not try anything to revive him?
  13. LynnVMonday, August 5th, 2013 at 7:18 pm
    Who arrived first; the paramedics who found the boy on the ground in the laundry room with the father at his side, or the sheriffs who arrived and found the father in the living room with the boy? You know how difficult it is evitaic31 to have a severely autistic child, yet you feel he did nothing; why? Yes, as with my nephew, you cannot leave him alone. Thankfully his obsession is now with his i pad and computer games, so the fear of leaving the room for a few seconds or minute (which was almost impossible when he was younger), isn't as strong as it once was. But yes, he must always be monitored and never left alone. I will not judge this man so quickly, but instead offer condolences to him and his family who must be feeling a great deal of grief right now.
  14. evitalc31Monday, August 5th, 2013 at 7:41 pm
    Did you read my earlier post? I do feel bad. No one should ever experience losing a child! I think what bothers people is the not knowing all the proper information. So instead of judging me read back and see that I feel badly because I know how it feels. You only have a nephew like that and you cannot possibly truly know what it is like to be the parent. I had to live that life for many years and one has to be on watch 24/7. If the respite worker isn't there, you have to find someone to watch if you have to use the restroom. You can never sleep- not that you could ever sleep soundly because autistic individuals frequently have an irregular sleep pattern. I had bolts and safety locks everywhere and then some. My son is way more curious because he is also blind. Anyting that made noise was fascinating. I did have a safety lock on my washer and all over appliances. My worst nightmare was my son getting into something or getting out and getting hurt. I was a complete insomniac for 14 years and nothing happened to my son. Granted, not everyone can do that. It is very stressful taking care of someone like this and the parent has to just accept that this is how it is. My son is only 9 months old mentally but he does walk and touch everything.
  15. LynnVMonday, August 5th, 2013 at 8:11 pm
    I understand what my brother and his wife go through, I watch him often for them and never let him out of my sight. It's a tough job for the short time I do take care of him (longest has been for 3 days/2 nights), and when he is picked up I have an unbelievable amount of respect for what they must deal with on a daily basis, 24/7. And yes, having your son blind makes it even tougher, I'm sure. I have often worried about this same scenario (because it could happen in a heart beat) and I would never believe that my brother or his wife did nothing. I read the comments on the KNBC website (linked) and again, many are asking why the father left him alone? Why didn't he do anything? Respite is a wonderful thing, if you qualify for it and I strongly believe that more families need it. I will not judge, because I know how hard, and what a toll it takes on a family.
  16. evitalc31Monday, August 5th, 2013 at 8:28 pm
    LynnV, I don't mean to come on strong because it isn't my style really My son has severe self-injurious behavior. He bites his fore arms and hands until bleeding and he broke my nose a few times while I was just trying to help him get ready for school. I have to question. Have you read how many disabled children are neglected/abused? It is very very sad. Parents feel overwhelmed and don't always get the help they need or the respite worker cancels-that is the worst. When you feel exhausted, hopeless and just defeated as a parent, it would be all to easy for a person to lose it. Scary! The statistics are very upsetting. This website: https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/prevenres Scope of the Problem page 4 provides very alarming percentages. You sound like a wonderful supportive sister. I wish I had that. I do not. This is the only issue that I am extremely passionate about. It is close to my heart. I have to wonder the emotional health of the father before the incident. Not because I think he is a bad parent but because it is possible he feels depression, hopelessness, etc. It is understandable and could have played a part in how the child got into such a predicament in the first place. You know? Of course, we won't have all of the answers right away. It is very upsetting. If the father needed help, where was it?
  17. LynnVMonday, August 5th, 2013 at 8:47 pm
    Perhaps it was fear? Shock? Guilt? Nobody knows why the father (according to the reports) 'just sat there'. However, at this point I am thinking only of the father, and family, for the very feelings you just shared; depression, hopelessness, etc. I cannot imagine how he must be feeling right not, and I hope that he, or anyone that may know this man, doesn't read the comments on this site or others regarding his sons death and how he handled it. I'm sorry for you and your family, and how difficult it was for you. My nephew has no concept of fear, so even at the age of 10, with no communication skills to speak of, we must watch him as if he were a toddler exploring for the first time. It's tough enough being a parent, it's even more difficult being a parent of a special needs child. Even with a supportive family, it takes its toll.
  18. evitalc31Tuesday, August 6th, 2013 at 6:52 am
    Well, LynnV, there are ranges of emotions that parents of special needs children go through. Lots of times, parents just become depressed caring for the individual. I know that most of the children at my son's facility do not get visits from their parents. Not because the parents don't love them but they are just broken-hearted and the dream of children was not how they expected. Sad. Also, I am always available to other parents to offer support. It is important to give back. This situation just tells me that families with special needs children need more help not less. Unfortunately with all of the budget cutting, several services were cut.
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